Introduction

Women's and gender studies is an interdisciplinary program that examines the role of gender in the construction of lives, cultures, community norms, meaning systems, and systems of representation. All of the areas of study within the program use cross-cultural or multicultural investigations to understand the dynamics and differences in the operation of gender. Within specific contexts but also across differences, the program also focuses on the lives of women--on women's past and present active involvement in the making of the world. Each of the areas of study emphasizes the ongoing interplay of theory and practice.

The program also includes minors in both gender studies and women's studies (see below).

Representations

This requirement emphasizes feminist approaches or gender study approaches to the examination of gender in representations; this requirement also can involve the recovery and examination of representations that previously had been invisible due to gender bias.

Art History 310: Women and Art, Wickre English 330: The Novel and the New: British Fiction, Behn to Bronte, Jordan English 340: The Twentieth Century in “English” Literature, Collar English 341: Contemporary Literature, Collar English 345: Renaissance Women's Writing, MacInnes English 347: The Age of Satire, Jordan

Global Perspectives

This requirement emphasizes the importance of gaining knowledge far from one’s own subject position. For this unit, students must choose a course outside their own cultural and geographical experience.

For U.S. students, some options: Anthropology and Sociology 332: The Anthropology of Sex and Gender, Staff (if not taken as the theory requirement)History 301: Gender and Sexuality in the Hispanic World, Kanter History 365: Women, Society and Gender in East Asia, O'NeillPolitical Science 372: Gender, Sex and International Politics, Walling

For international students, an option: History 340: History of Women in the U.S., 1877 to Present, Franzen

Historical Contexts

This requirement emphasizes the study of women or gender in specific and detailed historical context(s) or the study of the methodology of women’s or gender history.

Economics and Management 305: Women in Business and Leadership, BakerEnglish 220: The Making of Modern Masculinities: British Literature and Manliness, 1660-1914 , Jordan English 243: Women and Literature, Lockyer English 285: Gay and Lesbian Literature, Jordan English 338: Eighteenth-Century Culture Shocks: Race, Class, and Gender in Eighteenth-Century Britain, Jordan English 344: The Age of Elizabeth, MacInnes English 345: Renaissance Women's Writing, MacInnes English 347: The Age of Satire, Jordan French 320: French Women Writers and Feminist Criticism, Guenin-Lelle History 301: Gender and Sexuality in the Hispanic World, Kanter History 340: History of Women in the U.S., 1877 to Present, Franzen History 365: Women, Society and Gender in East Asia, Staff History 390: Modern Germany, Cocks History 395: The Irrational in History, Cocks

Self Making

This requirement emphasizes the feminist and gender studies examinations of processes and narratives that transform beings into gendered humans.

Anthropology and Sociology 230: Men and Masculinities, Melzer English 220: The Making of Modern Masculinities: British Literature and Manliness, 1660-1914, Jordan English 246: Immigration and Literature, Collar Psychology 251: Child and Adolescent Psychology, Elischberger Women's and Gender Studies 240: Sexualities, Histories and Culture, Franzen

Requirements for Minor in Gender Studies

Five units, including: WGS 116, Introduction to Gender Studies; one from Anthropology and Sociology 332, 333 and WGS 360, Feminist Theory; three additional courses from the electives listed below, at least two of which must be at the 300 level or higher: Anthropology and Sociology 230, 332, 333, 360, Biology 368, English 211, 220, 285, 337, 341, 344, 347, 351, 363, 370, History 308, 377, Religious Studies 320.

Elective courses should be selected in consultation with a women's and gender studies faculty member and reported to the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair.

Requirements for Minor in Women's Studies

Five units, including WGS 106, Introduction to Women's Studies, and WGS 360, Feminist Theory; one historical overview course; and two others from the electives listed below, at least one of which must be at the 300 level or higher: Art History 219, 310, English 243, 338, 345, French 320, History 340, 370, SCI 205, Theatre 210.

Elective courses should be selected in consultation with a women's and gender studies faculty member and reported to the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair.

Women's Studies Courses

106 Introduction to Women's Studies (1) Introduces some of the basic issues, debates and language surrounding the feminist "revisioning" of the traditional academic curriculum. Issues—education, images of women in various media, work, sexuality, male violence and race—approached from various disciplines, with emphasis on literature, the social sciences, and transnational issues. Franzen.

116 Introduction to Gender Studies (1)An introduction to gender studies including works that place gender at the center of scholarly inquiry as well as related material drawn from women's studies, men's studies and lgbt/queer studies. Focuses on gender and difference, considering how issues of race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, age and abilities interact with gender. Though most of the studies are based in the United States, global issues are introduced. Franzen, Staff.

187, 188, 189 Selected Topics (1/4, 1/2, 1)An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.

240 Sexualities, Histories and Culture (1)Examines how sexuality has emerged as the basis for academic inquiry and numerous identities in the late twentieth century. Part I examines the historical research on sexuality across various cultures, considering what changes, from economic through technological, have fostered the development of sexuality-related laws, restrictions, identities and opportunities. Part II traces the theories about contemporary identities that emerged from women's and gender studies research, assessing medical, academic, religious and legal institutions as well as the grassroots resistance and alternative naming presented by individuals and communities. In Part III, students in each class have the opportunity to determine some of the topics covered. Franzen.

287, 288, 289 Selected Topics (1/4, 1/2, 1)An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.

360 Feminist Theory (1)Prerequisite: WGS 106 or WGS 116 or permission of instructor. Explores twentieth-century feminist thought from the United States and Great Britain with some attention to other influences. Grounds feminist theory within the grassroots women's movement, a social, cultural and political movement for change. Tracing the influence of feminism in the academy, the course surveys not only the critical and analytical foundations of the field of women's studies but also the impact of women and gender-centered scholarship on the traditional disciplines. The challenges to feminist theory raised by U.S. women of color, working-class women, lesbians and other women who have experienced multiple oppressions are explored along with the women's examinations of the intersections of sexism and racism, classism, homophobia and other systems of power. Franzen, Collar.

387, 388, 389 Selected Topics (1/4, 1/2, 1)An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.

411, 412 Directed Study (1/2, 1) Directed studies generally are reserved for those students who have schedule conflicts between two majors. They are also available for students pursuing honors theses. In specific cases, students may request directed studies that cover topics beyond the scope of the current curriculum. These students are expected to present their proposed plan of study to the instructor for approval well in advance of registration. Staff.